Five little monkeys sitting in a tree
teasing Mr Alligator can't catch me, can't catch me
Along can Mr Alligator, quiet as can be
SNAP

Four little. etc..

Fast foward to college, and taking a class on African American protrayal in the media. (this is not from my class, but the idea)

The picaninny was the dominant racial caricature of Black children for most of this country's history. They were "child c**ns," miniature versions of Stepin Fetchit (see the section on the c**n caricature). Picaninnies had bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips, and wide mouths into which they stuffed huge slices of watermelon. They were themselves tasty morsels for alligators. They were routinely shown on postcards, posters, and other ephemera being chased or eaten. Picaninnies were portrayed as nameless, shiftless natural buffoons running from alligators and toward fried chicken.

My mind went back to my favorite song, and my heart just broke. I like the tune of the song, so I changed monkey to chipmunk when I sing it to Isaiah.

I'm not going to speak for her, but for ME-- especially after hearing McCain and Palin inciting hatred by saying Obama "isn't one of us"-- that makes me think that if you vote for him, you agree with him.

Originally Posted by Springcurl

I'm not convinced by saying "not one of us" that it's a racist comment it could mean a number of things

Originally Posted by DEL2C

I'm a white girl who grew up in Appalachia. Believe me, when a white person tells a bunch of white people that someone is "not like them" it's all about race. Whether one wants to dig on Obama for being black or "Arab" or "Muslim" that's what getting out.

It's totally different from someone saying "His tax plan is not like ours."

Originally Posted by redcelticcurls

Really? I'm also a white girl who grew up (and lives) in Appalachia and I've always felt that people in my area (southeast KY) are and were more divided by class than race. This is a phrase I've heard before meaning that someone was rich and didn't know what it was like to be a blue-collar worker and so on. I've actually heard a lot of these sort of comments in the McConnell vs. Lunsford race for Senate.

Oh, I've also heard this being used toward people from other areas - of the country, not the world.

I'm not convinced by saying "not one of us" that it's a racist comment it could mean a number of things

Originally Posted by DEL2C

I'm a white girl who grew up in Appalachia. Believe me, when a white person tells a bunch of white people that someone is "not like them" it's all about race. Whether one wants to dig on Obama for being black or "Arab" or "Muslim" that's what getting out.

It's totally different from someone saying "His tax plan is not like ours."

Originally Posted by redcelticcurls

Really? I'm also a white girl who grew up (and lives) in Appalachia and I've always felt that people in my area (southeast KY) are and were more divided by class than race. This is a phrase I've heard before meaning that someone was rich and didn't know what it was like to be a blue-collar worker and so on. I've actually heard a lot of these sort of comments in the McConnell vs. Lunsford race for Senate.

Oh, I've also heard this being used toward people from other areas - of the country, not the world.

Originally Posted by Rheanna83

I'm sure it was used for class in some areas. Where I grew up, "those people" or "they're not like us you know", usually said in a certain tone, meant blacks. Wealthier people were referred to as "those snobs", often with a sort of a turning up the nose with ones thumb gesture to go along with it.

Even in childhood songs:
Enny meeny miney moe
Catch a n*gger by the toe.

But over time they changed it to, what? Right MONKEY.

So good for you that you have never heard of or dealt with knowledge of moneky being a slur towards blacks. But I HAVE

Originally Posted by Trenell

Wow, I never knew the origins of enny meeny miny mo. I think we used tiger.

Originally Posted by Josephine

I heard all three versions growing up.

Originally Posted by redcelticcurls

I never heard the "tiger" one until my son was a child. The first two are what I heard growing up in a small town in the North that was white as snow.

Also the "game" where everyone would pile on top of someone, when I was a child it was a "n*gger pile", then they changed it to "monkey pile". Coincidence? I think not.

I would hope that people reading this who think that it is not offensive to talk like that learn that it is. Kids repeat things they hear their parents say, out of ignorance. But for adults to know full well that what they are saying is offensive and say it anyway, that is hatred.

Am I the only one who doesn't see that as racist? I mean, Bush has been called a baboon, monkey, and other names...I guess I don't see racial factors in a lot of stuff like this because I rarely think about race in general (and i'm a minority, before anyone attacks) oh well *shrug*

Originally Posted by NYCurlyGirly

No I'm with you NYcurlyGirly. It's never racism when a "minority" puts down whites or calls them a number of "names". I am also a "minority" and don't see why everything is always about race.

Originally Posted by DEL2C

Both of you miss the point. Bush was described as being those things by his actions and failure to lead our country. Obama being referred to as a monkey is for his skin color, something he cannot control, and deeply rooted in a racist history, ie: porch monkey. Do your research honey...

I see your point and I've heard that before Trennell. Somehow, if a black person was holding up a cracker and doing the same thing, guaranteed it wouldn't get the same attention. Unless is there an animal that blacks use to refer to whites that I'm not aware of?

Originally Posted by DEL2C

In the words of Chris Rock in his Kill the Messenger Special..."Sometimes the people with the most stuff, have to say the least...If you want to say the most, get rid of some of your stuff"

In other words, when pointing out the "inferior traits" in the white race contribute to perpetuating their slave mentality and degenerates their self-esteem, maybe we can talk about something.

Wow, I never knew the origins of enny meeny miny mo. I think we used tiger.

Originally Posted by Josephine

I heard all three versions growing up.

Originally Posted by redcelticcurls

I never heard the "tiger" one until my son was a child. The first two are what I heard growing up in a small town in the North that was white as snow.

Also the "game" where everyone would pile on top of someone, when I was a child it was a "n*gger pile", then they changed it to "monkey pile". Coincidence? I think not.

I would hope that people reading this who think that it is not offensive to talk like that learn that it is. Kids repeat things they hear their parents say, out of ignorance. But for adults to know full well that what they are saying is offensive and say it anyway, that is hatred.

Originally Posted by oreosmakemehappy

Whoa.. I've never heard of any of this... we used "tiger" too... And we used to say "dog pile" not monkey or anything else... Not to mention that I didn't even know monkey was a racial slur until I was MUCH older and was watching Clerks II... I used to call my best friend "Monkey" as a term of endearment...

3b/c/f/ii
Messing with AOWC/AORM (but will always love AOHR) Also playing with KBB, KCKT & KCCC
Frustrated none the less... Keratin process set for 12/20 unless something changes before then.

oh yeah, they had no clue either. I love how they have a McCain monkey too. Guess that makes it ok

Originally Posted by wavezncurlz

That McCain monkey came after they got called out. The site was shut down/sales for the Obama monkey stopped for a while. Then the site was back up with the McCain monkey added, so yeah, I guess that makes it OK now.